Meet Stephen Ojerinde, Senior Software Engineer at Klasha

Welcome to the first episode of Meet the Klashans series in 2023. In this episode, we will learn more about Stephen Ojerinde, a Senior Software Engineer and one of Klasha's first employees. In this article, Stephen tells us about his tech and Klasha journey and shares some exciting facts about him.

Let’s meet you, Steph.

I’m Stephen Ojerinde, but I go by Steph these days as people hardly get the pronunciation, hence Steph. I’m a Senior Software Engineer at Klasha, and I have a bachelor’s degree in computer science. I can be so hyped up for Messi and also throw bants. Messi is the GOAT, by the way! *laughing in World Cup victory*

Can you tell me about your software engineering journey?

It all started with mobile application development. I was always intrigued about how mobile apps were developed and wanted a mobile app developed by me on an android phone. So I started with android development. The rest is history.

What was your career like before Klasha, and how did you become a Klashan?

Funny enough, I compare joining Klasha to a football players’ transfer because it can be described as a hijacked transfer, LOL. I was on the verge of joining another Fintech company before Klasha came into play, but Klasha looked more adventurous, so I thought, why not? I’ve always been in the Fintech space before Klasha and had the opportunity to play around different roles in engineering.

Coming from a company with so much ground in the Fintech industry, I've explored different engineering areas: Frontend (ReactJS),  Backend, and Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD). I joined Klasha in the early stages, and at some point, I was the only Backend Engineer in Klasha. I’ve been able to explore other areas of engineering: building e-commerce plugins (BigCommerce, Prestashop, Ecwid, Magento), among others.

What’s your typical workday like?

My mornings are usually more hectic as I have to respond to messages/issues raised before waking up and jump on calls to clarify a couple of those messages/issues. Then the rest of the day is to carry out my assigned tasks, stabilise internal company systems, monitor and maintain existing software to keep it up to date with new industry standards. My mantra, You can figure it out, helps me when I encounter roadblocks and keeps me in the right frame of mind.

As one of the first Klashans, what’s your most significant achievement?

I would say building a system that has processed hundreds of thousands of transactions. I joined Klasha because I believe in the problem we are trying to solve: seamless cross-border payments and transactions for Africans to other parts of the world. This is a problem I am passionate about solving in my role.

What would you have been doing if you were not a Software Engineer?

I would have been a cinematographer.

What advice would you give your 16-year-old self?

Don’t sleep; wake up!

What do you typically do when you’re bored?

Twitter! You can never get bored over there.

Would you like to work with Klasha?

Klasha is constantly searching for brilliant minds to work with in building the future of commerce for Africa together. We have different roles for various parts of the world and would love to meet you or someone you know who is interested in our mission of seamless cross-border solutions in Africa.

To check the latest openings, follow these steps:

1. Visit Klasha’s career page.

2. Search for a role you love.

3. Apply, and we’ll get back to you.

We look forward to working with you.